I'm the world's biggest procrastinator when it comes to packing. I have written a list, but I'm dwadling. I'm trying to put off coming to terms with the fact that I have to give a wedding speech, walk down an aisle with questionable-inch heels, be in charge of keeping the groom away from the bride (dangmen), and be fully present all times because it is my sweet friend's big week.
Read More!Monday, October 30, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
ITB Anonymous: Session I
Hi, my name is Ms. Nomer and I have a problem.
I didn't used to think I have a problem. I thought all I was experiencing were a few one-time flare-ups, well within my control.
But I am realising that this may not be so.
My first encounter with my nemesis occured three weeks ago, on a jaunt to the Chinese garden. Then it was a dull throb, a fleeting temptation, so to speak.
I went cold turkey, put an ice pack, and forgot about it soon. Two weeks went by and I was asymptomatic. I wasn't as thrilled as I ought to have been because, well, I didn't think I had a problem.
Then I had an episode. It near crippled me, and I was frightened by its power.
So I took some precautions: did the seven steps to stregthen my resolve, the eight steps to complete joint freedom. And I was optimistic. Bouyed by the success of 25 minutes in the fray this last Thursday without a flare-up, I attempted a 45 minute endeavour on Friday. I was pushing my luck as I quickly realised...
Today, I only managed 35 minutes before the old demons knocked on the door.
But I will try again; because, why else am I here, telling you all of this?
Saturday, October 28, 2006
MM Lee comes to town!
These days, every time I step out of my house, something brand new sprouts up in my neighbourhood.
There are new zebra crossings...
Check out that short yellow lamp post! Cute eh? :)I think this one is overkill, just because I used to cycle recklessly down this road on my red BMX with trainer wheels. How can my kampung rd be dangerous?I've changed my mind on this one. I noticed today that hump the zebra crossing is on makes it level with the pavement, which means that someone in a wheel can cross two roads without having to get up and down the pavement four times, which is a very thoughtful feature.
There are new sign posts..
These light up at night. Don't play play!
There is even a new CCTV in the void deck.
To catch those who urinate in the lifts.
And everything gets a fresh coat of paint...
Guess who is coming to town? :)
Friday, October 27, 2006
I love my bluetooth dongle
I love you in the morning,
I love you at high noon,
I love you in the evening,
I love you till I swoon.
Eighteen bucks and I made you mine,
Smithering smootherin one-of-a-kind!
Give me fifty; no, I won't trade
My bluetooth dongle is heaven-made.
Listen to me, I lay my case:
You make this world a better place!
No more wires, no more walls,
No more trippin', no more falls!
Ah don't you laugh at my serenade
I'm on a bluetooth dongle p'wer crusade!
How to configure your mobile phone for Gmail
These excellent instructions for a Sony Ericsson mobile phone were written by Ian D. I reproduce it below.
[CRITICAL UPDATE]
Go to his post for a full review of the Sony Ericsson k800i.
Read more!
The weakest link
Between Smole and I, we have enough problems for three of us.
While I was congratulating myself at the 25 minute mark on how good my ITB was feeling thus far, Smole tripped over the tiniest crack in the pavement and sprained her ankle. It was a pretty bad sprain -- it swelled up to as large as a golf ball -- the poor girl! We got some ice in a plastic bag from the nice folks at Long John's Silver, iced it down and limped back to where we started.
We take turns to play the weakest link. (or at least our body parts do)
Week 1: Great run! No weakest link.
Week 2: MN's sunburn
Week 2.5: MN's sweat bubbles
Week 3: Smole's knee
Week 4: Smole's knee
Week 5: Smole's knee and MN's ITB
Week 6: It was actually an alright run, just general fatigue and impatience.
Week 7: MN's ITB
Week 7.5: Smole's ankle
What does Week 8 hold? Will Smole's ankle heal? Will MN's ITB flare up? When novices are foolish enough to sign up for a marathon, you get a drama serial. Read More!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Free stuff to boink for: Firefox 2.0
I've installed the upgraded Firefox 2.0 and then I configured it using this guide.
Firefox 2.0 is very easy to configure. All you have to do is to type about:config in the address bar and change the value of the keys you would like to update.
These were my changes.
| Key | Value | Comments |
browser.tabs.tabMinWidth | 0 | This removes the scrolling function on the tabs. Not being able to see all my tabs bothered me. |
browser.urlbar.hideGoButton | true | This hides the "Go" button in the address bar. |
The rest of the updates, like the built-in spell-checker, close button on tabs, and increased security against phishing and stuff, I digg!
The full list here. Frankly, I couldn't be bothered to read through it. Read More!
Hello World
The air is as fresh as the first dawn. Everything looks bright and beautiful, and remarkably... fresh.
Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the world
It feels a bit like that today with the lifting of the haze.
~ | ~
On the first morning
C. S. Lewis describes the creation of the world, or rather Narnia, in The Magician's Nephew. The stars sing and the air is fresh. If Plato is correct and that there is a true and perfect form of everything we perceive, then I imagine the creation of the world to be populated by these true forms -- the truest sunset, the perfect flower, the quintessential morning dew... It will be so full that you keep your eyes half shut because of the dizzy, painful pleasure.
~ | ~
On blackbirds
I was having breakfast in the canteen today when I saw two crows fighting with each other. Crows are very intelligent. When the folks from the pest company arrive in their vans to shoot them down, the crows recognize the vans and start squawking to each other that the vans have come. Then they fly just above the range of their guns, taunting the pest controllers with their squawks.
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more."
~ Edgar Allan Poe
Read More!
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more."
~ Edgar Allan Poe
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Book meme
Via Canopy. :)
1. One book that's changed your life.
Famous Five, by Enid Blyton, because I learnt how to read from them.
2. One book that you have read more than once.
The World's Religions, by Huston Smith. Quite the classic.
3. One book that you would want on a deserted island?
The Bible, failing which, the telephone book (with lots of pages).
4. One book that made you cry.
A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving. I bawled at the end of the book.
5. One book that made you laugh.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
6. One book you wish had been written.
Running in Singapore, by mis_nomer & Smole
7. One book you wish had never been written.
I actually don't know..
8. One book you are currently reading.
Specimen Days, by Michael Cummingham.
9. One book you've been meaning to read.
Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. I've been meaning to read it since 1999! It is never in the library. And I'm not even sure if I will like it.
10. One book you're glad to own.
The NIV Exhaustive Concordance. It was a gift on my 21st birthday, my pride and joy. But these days, with Bible Gateway, who needs 10kg concordances? So I have to choose The Lord of the Rings Triology instead, a gift from Smole.
11. One book from which you must read aloud.
The Complete Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne. Because of sentences like these: "Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump. bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it."
Additional questions by Canopy:
12. One book you never want to live out
The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown. My heart will race, my hair will stand, and then I will turn into a bowl of cheese.
13. One book you empathise with deeply
The Hours, by Michael Cummingham
14. One book that has helped you to avoid serious mistakes.
Bleak House, by Charles Dickens. There is a character in there who chalks up whatever he decides not spend as profit -- for example, if he decided not to spend $600 on a new bicycle, he can spend $400 on furniture and still make a net savings of $200. I find myself thinking like this all the time.
15. One book whose quotes keep coming back to haunt you.
The Bible.
16. One book that inspired you.
The Pursuit of God, A W Tozer
And additional questions by me :)
17. One Two books that scared you
Night, by Elie Wiessel, because it was real.
Knowing God, by J I Packer. It felt worse than a horror story. It was the first time I contemplated the "otherness" of God -- his utter holiness and absolute power -- and I lay in bed with my eyes wide open with terror.
Bells and whistles
Nothing cheers me up better than adding bells and whistles to this site.
I've added a new Google search bar on the right (get the free code here). I use the search option in other people's sites all the time so I'm not sure why it took me so long to put one in when I've accumulated enough words here to write a mini-nonsense-thesis.
Which reminds me that I really ought to figure out how to back-up this site. When I first started blogging, my mantra was to reveal as little as I can about myself and to write as if I would lose everything tomorrow; but over time, I've inadvertently invested more and more of myself into this space, and I must admit that it would sting (a little) to lose everything.
But words are fleeting you know? Yet, the irony is, these words would outlive me.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Walt Reynolds' ITB Special
Walt Reynolds' ITB Special is an exercise that mimics the running gait and strengthens the iliotibial band. I found the original instructions a bit difficult to follow, so I've taken the liberty of adding a few photos to illustrate.
First, find a four to six inch elevation.
Place the involved leg, i.e. the leg you are working out, on the step. Use a wall or railing on your non-involved side for support.
With both knees locked, lower your non-involved leg towards the floor. As you do this, your involved hip would be higher than the non-involved hip. (see pic below) Try to shift most of your body weight to the inside part of the foot of the involved leg. Make sure that a fair amount of your body weight is directed through your heel, not just your toes.
Bend your weight-supporting, involved knee slightly (about 10 to 20 degrees), but keep the non-involved foot off the ground or floor.
Now, move the involved hip forward about four to six inches, while keeping the involved heel in contact with the step and your weight on the inside of your involved foot. As your involved hip moves forward, your upper body should move backward.
After you've moved your hip forward, move it straight backward. As your hip moves backward, your upper body will tend to bend forward.
As you do the exercise, you should feel the burn up toward the side of your hip. If you don't feel anything happening, go back to the basic position and try again. Make sure that
1. Your involved hip is higher than the other hip
2. Your weight is shifted to the inside of the involved foot.
Start with 10 reps per day on each leg, and gradually build up to a set of 20 to 30 reps - carried out at two different times during the day.
Monday, October 23, 2006
The fat and the skinny of the matter
Do you think chubby people are happier than skinny people?
Or perhaps people in the middling range are happier than the supremely fat or the supremely skinny?
When I was born, I was a fat, happy baby. My face was so round and chubby that my father wanted to name me "Yuan Yuan" ("Round Round" in English). Thank God for my maternal grandmother who told him that it was not a suitable name for a baby, and so I was called "beautiful grace" instead.
To be fat is to be happy, as far as my ah mah was concerned. And I was a fat and happy baby. The moment I woke up I would be smiling. I rarely fretted. Slowly though, the baby fat went away and I became a fairly skinny kid and my ah mah would fret about how skinny her grandchildren were getting. I remember wanting to be fat to please her, so once, when I noticed that my thighs looked especially fat while sitting on the toilet bowl, I ran out butt-naked to get her to come look at my fat thighs.
My ah mah passed away when I was 9 -- she was the first person I loved to pass away -- it was sad. The weeks following her death was the first time I learnt how to pretend to be strong in the day and cry alone in bed at night.
My paternal grandmother liked us fat too. When I came back from the US, the land of plenty, I put on a good 5 to 10 kg. When my po po saw me, she remarked (in Mandarin): "Your face is nice and round, like a moon!" Heh. I had to admit that my feelings were a little hurt by that comment though.
My po po lost quite a lot of weight the last few years she was alive, making her look frail and weak. She looked so light that I felt I could have easily lifted her up with my arms. It looked like she was fading away..
So, in spite of the health risks -- you know, heart attack, diabetes, etc., I prefer my parents slightly chubby than too skinny.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
ITB woes
My left illiotibial band is sore like anything. I can't walk without it hurting so I keep my leg as straight as I can and swivel my hip around to take a step. Smole says I walk like a stroke patient.
I'm not really sure what to do. I think I really have to make an effort to stretch and do exercises to strengthen my gluteus medius muscle and hip abductors. And keep off the track. And try to pronate less and be less bow-legged. Er, right.
I am wondering if tape will be a decent substitute for the pattstrap...
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
This is the most imaginative story -- the most whimsical, heartlifting, funniest, well-rounded story -- that I have read in a long time.
Like the old fairytales, Stardust is about a quest -- a quest for a fallen star. Because of a hasty promise to a young lady, Tristran Thorn sets out from the quiet, secluded village of Wall in search for the star, and along the way, meets many adventures. Thematically, it is similar to the journey Odysseus takes in The Odyssey, yet it is different in one refreshing aspect: Tristran is no greek hero. He even becomes a dormouse (sic) at one point!
According to Wikipedia, Gaiman's style and tone in Stardust is very different from his other books. This is the first book I've read of his, so I can't comment. Though I have to say that even if all of his books were written in this style, there would be little loss, for there are too few old-fashioned fairytales today.
I may take that last sentence back after I read his other books though. ;)
Find it in a library here (Singapore) or here (rest of the world).
Joke time
Mama mouse and baby mouse were out on an expedition to look for cheese when suddenly a huge tabby cat bounded towards them, teeth bared and claws flashing. They turned and ran for their lives, but soon found themselves in a corner. Turning to face the fast approaching cat, they realised that there was no way out.
Baby mouse was very frightened and clung to Mama mouse shivering. He cried, "Oh mama, we are done for!"
Mama mouse held Baby mouse close to her warm furry body and whispered, "Shh..."
The tabby got closer and closer with each bound and just as she was about to pounce, Mama mouse yelled loudly, "WOOF WOOF! WOOF! WOOF! WOOF WOOF! ", and scared the tabby away.
And then Mama mouse said to Baby mouse, "See, I told you it pays to learn a second language!"
Source: My father, The Benefits of Learning a Second Language
Friday, October 20, 2006
Windows XP Tips: How to create a thumbnail for your folder
If you have a folder of pictures, Windows XP chooses the four newest pictures as the thumbnails for the folder. If you look at the picture below, the second row of folders are examples of the default thumbnails pulled out by Windows.
What if you would prefer a different photo as the thumbnail?
All you have to do is to go to the picture you want as the thumbnail -- the picture must be within the root directory of the folder, that it, it mustn't be in another folder in the folder you are creating the thumbnail for, create a copy and rename that as "folder.jpg". That picture then becomes the thumbnail pic for the folder. See first and third folder on first row.
(To hide the file names, hold down the shift key when changing to "View Thumbnails".)
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Free stuff I cannot do without: PrimoPDF
Once in a while, I find an absolute gem of a free software. PrimoPDF is one of these.
PrimoPDF lets you convert your word documents, webpages, powerpoint handout slides, etc. into PDFs for free, and, believe it or not, the process is as hassle-free as in the propriety version.
Below is the PDF I created from my powerpoint handout slides.
To create a PDF, all you have to do is to open the document you want to convert, click "print" and choose "PrimoPDF" from the printer list. It will ask you if you would like it to print to screen, print, ebook or prepress resolution. You can also control the security settings for the PDF you create, which controls whether users can print, copy, and add comments.
After you specify where you would like your PDF to be saved to, print your document like any other document and there you have it. Your very own PDF. It's a gem!
The perfunctory random post: Virginia Woolf, Tweak UI, etc.
- Did you know that the word "lark" appears within the first 50 words in both "To the Lighthouse" and "Mrs. Dalloway"? It is interesting that both novels start with such an air of expectation.
- Tweak UI is a Windows XP PowerToy that lets you tweak system settings that are not usually accessible by default. Don't like that ugly shortcut arrow? Tweak it with Tweak UI!
Have a seemingly unremovable icon that is spoiling your clean desktop? It is as easy as toggling it off with Tweak UI.
You can even set how many times you want the taskbar to blink to get your attention, what programmes are allowed to appear on the frequently used programmes list, change your autoplay options, and even manipulate how large you want your thumbnails to be! No wonder they call it a PowerToy. - I'm a bit afraid. Typing in "runner singapore blog" in Google spits out this blog as one of the top three: below the estimable Lonely Runner, but above the popular sgrunners network. Oh dear me.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Some days I'm such a guy
For breakfast, I order one egg prata and one plain prata from Muhd Ani Rafi.
I spend all day at work fantasizing about techno gadgets and memorising all their specs.
I want a lot of rice for dinner because I am hungry.
Then I sulk because the Nasi Goreng (Indian style fried rice) I ordered turned out to be yucky, and there is nothing else to eat at home, except for cold boiled yams with sugar, which I eat anyway because I am hungry.
It is 11:30pm. I am still hungry. I am still checking out mobile phones.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Sony Ericsson k618i
I've got my eyes set on you. This 2 megapixel 3G phone with mobile blogging capabilities is going for only $98 at M1.
-----
Update: I'm having a serious case of gadget-envy. The k618i is at the moment out of stock. Tetanus's heart is stolen by the Sony Ericsson k800i, a mobile phone with a cyber-shot 3.2 megapixel camera. Surprisingly , it is retailing for $368, which is substantially cheaper than the Nokia N73 (also 3.2 megapixel) that is going for $498.
Check this black beauty out:
My heart throbs. Should I pay $270 more for a camera with a flash and higher resolution? I think I'll wait for the weekend to see what deals may come.
Links:
- Check out sergio recabarren's jaw-dropping photos taken with the K800i here.
- A comparision between the camera functions of the Sony Ericsson k750 and the Nokia N70 (both 2 megapixel).
Monday, October 16, 2006
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith
Elle, I gave Alexander McCall Smith another chance, and I'm sure glad I did.
I like this one a lot better than the first two I read by him. Compared to the pompous and eccentric academia in the von Igelfel series, Precious Ramotswe is a breath of fresh air. It is just so much more fun to read about characters you like.
She is everything a woman should be: warm-hearted, squeamish about snakes under the car, fat, sensible, smart, maternal, observant, brave. I want to be just like her! (Except maybe for the fat part.)
It is easy to read, yet through the traditional and lyrical story-telling, the heart of Africa shines through. McCall Smith brings to life the emptiness of the Kalahari, where lions roam and the sun beats down, the music of Botswana, dotted with acacia trees and thornbushes, goats and cattle, and the taste of edible Mopani worms.
It is a warm and light-hearted story, suitable for all ages. Read More!
One cup or two?
I have to take an English Proficiency Test today and my dilemma is whether I should drink one cup of coffee and risk falling asleep (I fell asleep during the TOEFL many moons ago), or drink two cups and risk having a stomachache (as during a 1 hr presentation just two weeks ago, though I think the culprit then was my own mother's chicken curry).
Ah decisions, decisions. :)
I haven't taken a test for so long that I forgot I had to bring my own stationery!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
To the Lighthouse, by Virginia Woolf
There is just too much in it. Each moment in the story is so full and rich that if I were to unpack it and try to line it out systematically, it would require three times the original number of words. How does Woolf pack so much emotion and nuance into something as ordinary as a walk in the garden or a dinner with friends? She must have been keenly attuned to life to be able to put so much into so few words.
Woolf is a nothing less than an expert on human behaviour. She is uncannily observant and is able to decipher the motives behind what people do and say. For example, she describes how a husband goes to his wife with the benevolent intention of "doing homage to the beauty of the world" (45), but is really just demanding sympathy. This is how she describes the wife giving the husband what he wants:
"Mrs Ramsay, who had been sitting loosely, folding her son in her arm, braced herself, and, half turning, seemed to raise herself with an effort, and at once to pour erect into the air a rain of energy, a column of spray, looking at the same time animated and alive as if all her energies were being fused into force, burning and illuminating (quietly though she sat, taking up her stocking again), and into this delicious fecundity this fountain and spray of life, the fatal sterility of the male plunged itself, like a beak of brass, barren and bare. He wanted sympathy....
He was a failure, he repeated. Well, look then, feel then. Flashing her needles, glancing round about her, out of the window, into the room, at James himself, she assured him, beyond a shadow of a doubt, by her laugh, her poise, her competence (as a nurse carrying a light across a dark room assures a fractious child), that it was real; the house was full; the garden blowing. If he put implicit faith in her, nothing should hurt him; however deep he buried himself or climbed high, not for a second should he find himself without her. So boasting of her capacity to surround and protect, there was scarcely a shell of herself left for her to know herself by; all was so lavished and spent; and James, as he stood stiff between her knees, felt her rise in a rosy-flowered fruit tree laid with leaves and dancing boughs into which the beak of brass, the arid scimitar of his father, the egotistical man, plunged and smote, demanding sympathy." (44, 45)
Wow. Woolf later describes the husband as "filled with her words, like a child who drops off satisfied", while Mrs Ramsay "seemed to fold herself together, one petal closed in another, and the whole fabric fell in exhaustion upon itself, so that she had only strength enough to move her finger, in exquisite abandonment to exhaustion, across the page of Grimm's fairy story, while there throbbed through her, like the pulse in a spring which has expanded to its full width and now gently ceases to beat, the rapture of successful creation." (45, 46)
Wow. Woolf uses so many words to describe something invisible, yet does it so perfectly that you know exactly what she means. The sexual connotations are unmistakable.
From the passage above, it is also apparent that one of the themes of this book is the divide between men and women. It is really quite a feminist piece of work, with one of the whiney characters declaring "women can't paint; women can't write"; yet, the entire novel is described as "a vision" of a middle-aged, single woman who struggles through her painting. It mustn't be overlooked that author herself was female.
This novel treats life as fragile and temporal. Decay, rot and change are prevalent themes too: the greenhouse needs a new roof, the boar's skull hanging by the door, wrapped in the mother's shawl, the shocking news given to the readers abruptly in brackets, the rabbits running amock in Mrs Ramsay's garden...
Woolf suffered from depression and eventually drowned herself because she was afraid of another attack of mental illness. It troubles me that such a sensitive person took her own life. It is as if the foreboding melacholy that is found in this novel won after all, and that all we have left are words, just words...
I would rather believe otherwise. Read More!
Slash
I am a sucker for brand new buses. I like the clean smell, the funky orange railings, the firm seats, the lower step at the doorway for the elderly, and the little screen that tells you how many seats there are available on the top deck. (30 available. whoohoo!)
So when I saw one of these buses one morning, I boarded it even though it was not the most direct route. And I saw this:
So appalled.
Friday, October 13, 2006
My lovely 4-bit display
I came to work this morning -- I had to climb over a 2m partition with white pants on but that is another story -- to this lovely 4-bit display.
The IT folks were trying to install an antivirus programme yesterday and something must have gone wrong somewhere. (No, I am not in safe mode.)
One of the things about making your own messes is that at least you know the steps you took to make that mess. Because I don't know the exact programme they installed -- I think it may have been spybot -- I cannot retrace the steps of folly, and so have to depend on getting a hold of them to fix my problems.
Aw well. I feel like I have those 3-D glasses on.
Time for a kuay lapis tea break! :)
Thursday, October 12, 2006
To resolve protopage's tab issue
Remember my angst about tabs and over protopage that made me open emails in a new browser even though I wanted it in a new tab? There is a very simple way about it.
In firefox, go to Tools > Options > Tabs. Click "Force links that open in new windows to open in a new tab".
Tada! :)
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Week 5: The West Coast Park Run
Unlike the previous four runs, the name for Week 5's run is contentious. It is a narrow fight between
- The West Coast Park Run: Labrador Park-West Coast Park-Pandan Reservoir-Chinese Garden *descriptive*
- The Just-How-Small-is-Singapore Run *inductive*
- The we-are-never-going-to-make-it-so-let's-just-give-up Run *emotive*
The name Just-How-Small-is-Singapore Run is inductive, as can be seen in this map:
That is the whole of Singapore you see. That purple line you see is only 17.5km, so just how small is Singapore exactly?
And the we-are-never-going-to-make-it-so-let's-just-give-up Run is emotive, as evidenced by having to stop because of knee pain before we even hit the 20km mark.
Die.
And so what do you do when you are discouraged because you have neither speed nor endurance? Pretend you are as fast as speeding train.
Zippin' train
Zippin' smole
Zippin' MN Read More!
Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs!
Thanks to TrainofThot who alerted me to protopage's email checking capabilities, my email life is a little less scattered now. I forwarded both my yahoo and my secondary gmail account to my primary gmail account which protopage helps me to monitor via a little box on my home page. I have left my junk mail hotmail and work mail separate because well, it is junk and it is work, and never the twain shall meet.
Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs!
My only gripe about it now is that protopage only allows me to open emails in a new browser and not in a new tab, which is irritating because I don't like having a gazillion browser windows open. Clicking on "inbox" on your email in the new browser window forces you to open yet another new browser, which completely drives me up the wall. It is the little things, if you know what I mean.
Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs!
My friend J is on a low-iodine diet and I feel very sorry for her because she can't eat anything she didn't cook herself. She can't have iodized salt, which throws out all processed and restaurant food, 'cos you can't ever be sure what kind of salt they use. So she has been subsisting on fried rice, oatmeal and salads, which is fun and gourmet for a while, but gets tediously boring very quickly, especially when you're a little depressed because you have completely run out of thyroid. I'm going to buy her a curry puff when she is over this. The silver lining of course is that it is a great way to have excellent bowel movements.
Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs!
I bought two new pairs of pants (or trousers for our English friends) for $29 each which I will pick up from Iora this evening. How exciting. I've never bought two pairs of pants at one go. It makes me feel... dangerous. I think I'll pick up a few work shirts to go along with my smart new pants and I will be a brand new woman.
Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs!
In other news, I won $10 from High Browse Online! Remember when I thought I didn't win? Turns out that they were considering the Tolkien review for September instead of August, and the two reviews I submitted shared the highest number of votes for September. Pretty sweet. Now I need to lurk around Eric's and Jim's and Siren's site some more to get more book ideas.
Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs! Tabs!
Bus prices have gone up again. It hasn't gone up by very much though. For me, it is an additional 6 - 10 cents a day, or $1.80 - $3.00 a month. So well. The silver lining is that every time I cycle to and from work, I'm saving more money too. Ha! I'm all about silver linings this post.
And so I'm done. The End.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Life is a watermelon
Once in a while I get blue. And then I get jealous of people who seem to have it all altogether, people who can have family and friends and lovers at the same time, people who are young, dynamic and have all their lives in front of them, people who write so well that it makes all my words look like crap, people who are rich, people who have a skill, people who know the meaning of their lives, people who are whole.
I'm tired of not knowing who I am and how I fit. The awful dark weight of life is kept at bay only by a few hobbies: a marathon at the end of year, perhaps a dinner with you, perhaps the promise of a happy weekend, perhaps a new gadget-toy, perhaps just writing another post, running another run, eating another dinner... postponing the future by stretching out the now.
I only have the now. I'm putting all my eggs in it and hoping for the best.
Monday, October 09, 2006
How many ways can your knee hurt?
So I have become a runner. I know what a sore iliotibial band feels like.
Smole has Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome and I have Iliotibial Band Syndrome.
Smole needs to strengthen her quadriceps and stretch her iliotibial bands, calves and hamstrings. I need to strengthen my hip abductors and stretch my iliotibial bands.
How to strengthen quadriceps: (for PPS)
Source
How to strengthen hip abductors: (for PPS and ITBS)
Source
How to strengthen gluteus medius muscle: (for ITBS)
Source
How to stretch the iliotibial band: (for PPS and ITBS)
Source
And all of these stretches too: (for PPS and ITBS)
Source
No cycling or squash for me till after the marathon...
Category: Running
Motivational Poster
Gwynne's and Eric's are funnier.
(Make your own motivational poster here.)
I dream of bulldozers, do you?
On the way to work, I passed by the demolition of the temporary Newton Circus Food Centre. I saw this man in a digger machine hydraulic excavator scooping huge mental scraps into a large bin and crushing it with the back of the machine arm. He looked so little and frail inside the large and powerful machine, and at that moment, I wanted a bulldozer.
And then I thought, "What do you want a bulldozer for, smartypants?" And I retorted, "Well, I could demolish stuff." And somewhere simmering in the backside of my Monday morning brain was this quote by Henry David Thoreau:
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion. I would rather ride on earth in an ox cart, with a free circulation, than go to heaven in the fancy car of an excursion train and breathe a malaria all the way. … But lo! men have become the tools of their tools.”
Sometimes we are so empowered by our tools that we forget that by ourselves, we are really frail, naked and blind.
In any case, folly disregarding, these are the ten tools I could not do without:
- Contact Lens/ Spectacles
I would have fallen into a ditch and killed myself a long time ago without my glasses. - A powerful computer with internet access
Because how else will I work and play? - A stove
Hot food! - A camera
Because I don't trust my memory. - Additional SD cards
If you can't boost your brain, boost your devices. - Running shoes
I'm not entirely sure about this one. Some people espouse the shoe-less method of running as more natural and hence better for the body. Right now, I have a sore ITB and my running shoes are the only thing between my knees and the concrete. - ATM card
Because getting cash from the wall is so cool! - Aeroplanes
Can't be helped, my sister lives in the US. - Nail Clipper or Scissors
Self-explantory. - A bulldozer
:)
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Haze in Singapore
The haze is pretty bad here in Singapore the last couple of days.
It hit a PSI (Pollution Standard Index) of 150 at 9pm this evening. (Click here for larger pic.)
National Environment Agency
Like that how to run?
Here are some photos I've shamelessly stolen because I don't have any of my own.
Uploaded on October 6, 2006
by stereomer
Uploaded on October 6, 2006
by skinnylatte
Uploaded on October 7, 2006
by satya.w
Uploaded on October 7, 2006
by ozlady
Uploaded on October 7, 2006
by ozlady
Uploaded on October 6, 2006
by lanolinfree
Uploaded on October 7, 2006
by MadhuJ
Haze, haze, go away...
Pretty stuff I cannot do without: Macfox Graphite
Blogged about Macfox last month and Kelly Cunningham herself stopped by to let me know that the graphite version is now available.
It is sweet. I like. :) Thank you!
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Online Schizophrenia
5 email accounts, 4 monikers, 3 flickr accounts, 2 blogs,
and only
1 me.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Juice Station, stuck flower and funny bits
Going for a work-related trip the next three days. It is ridiculous the number of things that need charging up.
This is a flower that got stuck to me on the beached whale run.
I had a hey-look-at-me-this-is-so-cool look on my face, but you can't tell.
dotloveshellokitty's flickr set on the annual zucchini race is funny.
the mrbrown show: Singlish lesson pack 1 is even funnier.
How does the juice station, the stuck flower, and the funny bits fit together? I don't know. You tell me.
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